The premise of this historical fiction novel was very intriguing to me; the Kennedy family is very fascinating and I'd never heard of Alicia Darr or her place in their history. However, I really struggled to enjoy or finish this book. None of the characters, including the protagonist, were likable, sympathetic, relatable, or had any redeeming qualities, so I had a really difficult time maintaining any interest. The writing also seemed a little disjointed to me and did little to keep me curious. I really wanted to enjoy this read and I normally love historical fiction, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Here is that review:

I didn't realize until I was reading the author's notes at the end that this was actually based on a true story!! Some of the characters, especially John F (Jack) and Jackie Kennedy, and the entire extended Kennedy family, were familiar names, but I had never heard nor read about Alicia Darr/Alicia Corning Clark/Barbara Kopczysnka. The story was fascinating and the idea that there may, or may not, have been a Kennedy bastard born to a Jewish immigrant was amazing!

The book is a great read, even if you read it just as a story and are unaware of the real story-behind-the-story.

This was a very well written and interesting read. This is the story of a real woman, Alicia Corning Clark, who likely had an affair with JFK before he was President. I won't divulge any other details but it was an enjoyable book which I heartily recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Kennedys have always been a fascination for many Americans and this story adds to the mystery that surrounds them. Alicia Darr survives WWII in Poland and eventually moves to the USA. She meets Jack Kennedy and we follow their decade long love affair. Michelle Gable had to do a ton of research for this story and weave together facts with fiction to create a book that is hard to put down. It had me googling many names and situations to find out more or the "real" story. I love Gable's storytelling and that I always learn something from her novels. I look forward to her next book!

My Review of “The Summer I Met Jack” by Michelle Gable St.Martin’s Press Pub. Date May 29,2018

Michelle Gable, Author of “The Summer I Met Jack” writes an intriguing , unique and enjoyable novel. ” The Genres for this novel are Women’s Fiction and Fiction. The author uses her imagination to incorporate some historical facts to the fictional story. I especially like the concept of “What If”. The story is based on John F. Kennedy and Alicia Corning Clark.

The author describes the Kennedy family as complicated and complex. Alicia is also describes as complicated and complex. In this novel, we get a different perspective of John F. Kennedy and his family.

I would recommend this novel for readers who enjoy stories and information about the Kennedy’s. There are some twists and turns, betrayals and lies , romance, and dark secrets. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable is based on the interesting real life of Alicia Corning Clark, who supposedly fell in love with JFK. The book imagines the relationship between Ms. Clark and JFK.

The story is well written. The main characters are well developed. The various settings are also very well done and you can easily picture yourself in Hyannisport, Hollywood or in Rome.

This is a book with lots of research to back up the characters. I will say this is a great look at our history back in the 50s and 60s. Ms. Gable lists extensive research for this novel in her end-notes. The book delves into JFK’s constant suffering with Addison’s disease and his chronic back problems due to a degenerative disc disease. While I was not aware of Alicia Corning Clark, Ms. Gable has done extensive research on her character as well.

There are many readers who are consistently drawn to a story when the Kennedys are involved. I am one of them. However, I did feel that several portions of the story are over the top drama. There is also a lot of 50's and 60's Hollywood celebrities popping in and out of the story. I truthfully disappointed in the way the story ended.

I would like to thank Michelle Gable, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable is a great read. It is based off some realistic events. I found that part intriguing. My mind spun with how would those characters have survived, done, and moved forward. The consequences of their actions and the choices they have made will affect them like a domino affect. The book was similar to some soap opera themes but had a real life tune. There was plenty of drama, sacrifices, and emotions that flew across the pages. I was deeply entertained. The intensity and curiosity of what would happen to and between both Jack and Alicia caught me.

This novel was historically interesting. Michelle Gable did her research into the whole affair JFK and Alicia Corning Clark. The writing was engaging. I could not stop reading her book. The more I got into it, the more I had to read it. There was and still is a mystery surrounding the real historical events and the ones in the novel. I loved that! A romance that soon turned forbidden, and then distorted and kept hidden in such a way tha no one really knows the answers was appealing to me. Overall, I recommend The Summer I Met Jack to all readers.

I’m not a historical book lover by any means but this one captured me from the start. I think as everyone is a little obsessed with JFK and his life, thats what made me want to read this! The research that was put into this book made the fact to fiction ratio amazing. Sometimes I found myself in tears and other types in complete shock! This is a summer must read!

I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

What a book! The Summer I Met Jack will have you doing research on the side, to read more about the fascinating Kennedy family. When I first read the synopsis for this book, I knew it was a title that I had to read. A forbidden romance, politicians, a cover up, and celebrities?! I was immediately intrigued! And this book, for the most part, did not disappoint.
The Summer I Met Jack takes us to Hyannisport, Massachusetts where our main character, Alicia, meets Jack Kennedy one night. Alicia and Jack immediately have a connection, and I found their romance believable and real. Alicia is very aware of Jack’s faults, but she falls for him hard and fast regardless. There are some sexy scenes here, nothing too terribly graphic, and a bit of language as well.
Alicia was an interesting main character, in that she lived a very exciting, memorable life, but unfortunately, I never truly was invested in her character. The characters that just leapt off the page for me were the characters of Jack, and the rest of the Kennedy family, specifically Eunice (Jack’s sister) and Joe (Jack’s father). So, by comparison, Alicia felt very bland, perhaps I should just describe her as ordinary, and also like she kept the reader at arm’s length. There was a distance there, so even though the story is about her, I never felt like I truly knew her.
The most interesting thing about The Summer I Met Jack is the story of Jack Kennedy, his rise to power, and his family. I was constantly looking items up online while I was reading this, and funnily enough, in the acknowledgments at the end of the book, the author states that she hopes “the story has you googling for days”. Well, I most certainly did that, and am still doing that, and I’m truly fascinated with the Kennedy family. From the possible mob connections, to the arranged marriages, to the family drama, to murder and mayhem, it is absolutely fascinating.
The Summer I Met Jack was gossipy and a bit trashy, but I mean that in the best possible way. This was an enormously entertaining book, and is a wonderful summer read! Oh, and Katherine Hepburn, who is a good friend of Alicia’s later on, is also in the book, and I just love her, so that was a fun addition to this book!

Bottom Line: An intriguing summer read that is a lot of fun and full of fascinating detail!

Everyone has heard of the Kennedy's but this is a little known love story of Jack and Alicia Corning Clark. I had never heard of this story and with an interesting reason why. When your family doesn't approve of your fiancee and they have HUGE plans for you, you have to make a choice. Alicia and JFK had a beautiful love story until his family gets in the way. Alicia led a very interesting life after her time with JFK. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you love all things Kennedy this is the book you need to read! I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

This was an incredible book that I had a hard time putting down and finished within two nights! What an amazing alternative look at JFK and the man we have grown up hearing about. I thought the character of Alecia Darr was beautifully written and developed and I found myself anxious for her to have a happy ending. I think the author created such a compelling love story and I am eager to read more from her in the future! Excellent read!

The Summer I Met Jack is just more rehash of what we already know.

Thank you to to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I love Michelle Gable’s books and usually devour them but this one was a little hard for me to get through. It had nothing to do with the writing because Gable is a rock star author and the main character was really interesting but overall I just didn’t like reading about JFK. I wasn’t born when he was alive/killed so it’s not like I have this “good boy” image in my head of him that was totally rocked by the revelations in this book; I’m just not interested at all in the Kennedys. I’m still going to give the book 4 stars because clearly Gable did her research when writing this book and because it has to be difficult to write a fictional book about real people/events and have it come out to be this “believable” (trust me I hit up Google as soon as the book was done!) but overall it’s probably not the first book I would recommend if someone said they wanted to ready something of hers.

I loved this book. Great story! Interesting to see what "might have" happened. Seeing historical figures that have always been "larger than life" as real characters.

Loved this book. The Kennedy's always fascinated me and this book was one I could not set aside.

I love all Kennedy books but I just couldn't get into this one. I tried several times and have stopped and started the book. I am having a hard time connecting with the characters and the storyline. I just can't finish it.

Michelle Gable did an excellent job creating a fictionalized account of famous peoples' lives during the 1950s & 60s with the lead protagonist being Alicia Darr Purdom Corning Clark.
I did not enjoy the subject matter - JFK and all of his family. Alicia and her DP status was very emotional as I grew up in this era surrounded by people with this status. Alicia's colorful life was exhausting.
I was happy to reach the end of this book since it really wasn't my cup of tea, but it was well researched, well written and told an interesting tale.
Michelle Gable can be counted on to produce an excellent story and she delivered with The Summer I Met Jack.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Netgalley prior to publication.

I am a fan of historical fiction but I'm not sure that this classifies as such. The character of Alicia was interesting and her history was the most exciting part of this book. It may be that I don't find the Kennedy family as enthralling as others do but their family life, as described in this book, sounds dramatic at best. It would be interesting to see if it were an accurate depiction of not. While I hope others enjoy the book, this is not one I could fathom reading again.

I have always been obsessed with the Kennedy's. The Summer I Met Jack fed my obsession and I had a hard time putting it down. Michelle Gable did an amazing job researching! I ended up falling down a Kennedy rabbit hole after reading this book and different accounts of Alicia Darr's life. This book is fiction but is based on real life people and events. Loved it!

Interesting story about the Kennedy's. Love the tale it weaves and can easily follow what it was like back then. Great charecters, and well painted descriptions. Story seems to drag some for me, but others may not feel the same.